Okc Thunder skirmish: okc thunder overtime win after Nikola Jokić confronts Lu Dort
Nikola Jokić angrily confronted Lu Dort late in the fourth quarter of a matchup that sent the game to overtime, and the okc thunder sealed a 127-121 overtime victory. The sequence resulted in a Flagrant 2 ejection for Dort, offsetting technical fouls for Jokić and Jaylin Williams and drew a string of reactions from players and coaches.
Altercation in fourth quarter
The skirmish began in the fourth quarter when the Thunder guard appeared to intentionally trip the three-time MVP. The action was described as at least a hip check with an outstretched leg as Nikola Jokić was jogging up the floor without the ball after Oklahoma City scored. After a foul was called to stop play, Jokić got back on his feet and angrily confronted Dort, putting his chest into the Thunder wing.
Officials review and penalties
After officials reviewed replay, Dort’s foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 2, resulting in an automatic ejection. Jokić and Jaylin Williams received matching technical fouls that were offset, allowing both to remain in the game. Crew chief James Williams said, “Lu Dort was assessed a flagrant foul penalty (level) two because we deemed (Dort’s) contact on Jokic to be unnecessary and excessive with a high potential for injury, ” and also because the contact led to an altercation that did not dissolve.
Sequence with Jaylin Williams
When Jokić confronted Dort, Oklahoma City center Jaylin Williams came to Dort’s defense and exchanged shoves with Jokić in a brief altercation at midcourt. Players and coaches from both teams rushed to midcourt. It took a while, but the two were eventually pried loose from each other. Officials determined Nikola Jokic didn’t throw a punch when he took a swipe at Williams with his left hand during the altercation. The NBA rulebook states that throwing a punch is automatically punished by an ejection and suspension of at least one game.
Okc Thunder overtime win
The game went to overtime after Jokić tied the game with 38 seconds left in regulation. The extra five minutes were one-sided in favor of the Thunder, who shut down the Nuggets and won 127-121. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, making his return from an abdominal strain, led the Thunder with 36 points and 9 assists in 34 minutes; he missed all of overtime due to a minutes restriction. Chet Holmgren added 15 points, 21 rebounds and 3 blocks. OKC’s depth — including contributions from Jaylin Williams, Alex Caruso and Jared McCain — was cited as the difference in the win.
Nuggets performance and standings
Nikola Jokić finished with 23 points on 9-of-25 shooting, 17 rebounds and 14 assists, while Jamal Murray led all scorers with 39 points. Only two other Nuggets scored more than seven points. Denver had led by as many as 16 points in the first quarter before Oklahoma City mounted its comeback. The win kept the 46-15 Thunder two games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the West, while the Nuggets are tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for fourth place at 37-23.
Player and coach reactions
Nikola Jokic was succinct when asked about the trip and the confrontation: “Unnecessary move, and a necessary reaction. There is no such thing — I think there’s not supposed to be those things on a basketball floor. So it was just an unnecessary move (by Dort) and a necessary reaction by me. ” Jokic also said he was confident he wouldn’t be ejected because “I didn’t do nothing. ” He declined further comment, saying “it’s not worth it, ” when asked about the situation escalating between him and Williams.
Nuggets forward Cam Johnson said, “I didn’t see it because my back was turned at the time. But obviously, it was a cheap shot enough for (Dort) to be thrown out, so they took care of it. ” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault described the contest as chippy and noted the teams’ history: “These are two teams that played each other in a seven-game series. We’re in the same division. We’ve played each other 100 times. They know our playbook. We know their playbook. It just is what it is. It’s gonna be an imperfect game. And things, they escalate like that sometimes. I know Lu. I know Jokic. I know J-Will. I don’t think anybody was trying to hurt anybody. They’re just great competitors. It just boiled over. I think it was nothing more than that. ” He added, “I will say this. If a player (for us), if J-Will is running up the floor and gets tripped, we expect a flagrant two from this point forward. That’s all. If that’s the precedent, if that becomes a malicious play and flagrant two is the line in the sand on that, we would expect that if it’s J-Will. We would expect that if it’s anybody. ”
When asked if he was insinuating that Dort was ejected only because a three-time NBA MVP was on the receiving end of the foul, Daigneault said, “I’m not going to answer the question like that. I said what I needed to say a” — unclear in the provided context.
Further replay showed a side of Nikola Jokić that one observer described as frankly terrifying, and an on-screen caption captured the line, “I will now have a nightmare tonight. You’re welcome. ” The incident occurred on a Friday and was included in replay material dated February 28, 2026.
Neither Lu Dort nor Jaylin Williams were made available for comment by the Thunder after the game.
